Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski joined his fellow mayors on Capitol Hill Wednesday, giving him an up-close look at the marble hallways – and political roadblocks – that accompany the new title he’s seeking.

Pawlowski and several dozen other municipal leaders were in town to lobby congressional leaders on finding a long-term funding plan for road and bridge repairs. They recounted how crumbling bridges and congested highways limit local development and increase risks to residents.

“We’re angry about this issue. It affects everything we’re trying to do within our cities,” Pawlowski said in an interview after meetings with House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Pawlowski said that while Pennsylvania recently approved a state-level plan to provide more money for infrastructure projects, money for a longer period of time is needed and “it has to come from Washington.”

Despite the public relations push from local officials and other groups, Congress remains likely to pass only another short-term fix before the latest round of money runs out on May 31.

While lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say a longer-term bill is needed, there's little consensus on how to pay for such a plan.

Asked what he thinks it will take for Congress to come together on a longer-term funding plan for infrastructure projects, Pawlowski - who is seeking to challenge Republican incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey next year - replied with a chuckle: "I don't know, besides pragmatic mayor-types in the halls of Congress?"